Project X [2012] ★½

A lot of times, while I’m watching a bad movie, several questions arise: “What the hell is that?” or better yet: “What the hell were they thinking?” That’s exactly what I asked myself while suffering through “Project X”, which is anything but funny, as some might lead you to think. I think “tragic” would be a more appropriate word, “pathetic” even. But not funny. I can’t imagine who the filmmakers envisioned as their target audience. Is it a date movie? Hell no. It’s really not for teenagers either, unless they happen to be on crack. But that’s another story. Following in the footsteps of “The Hangover” (a solid movie by the way, unlike this “horror”), the plot follows a bunch of idiots who decide to throw their shy pal a 17th birthday party he’ll never forget, while his parents are away for the weekend. There’s no point in my telling you more than that, because the plot doesn’t make a lot of sense, and its resolution is even harder to swallow. One can’t blame the actors, who do their best, but even they aren’t very appealing, because their characters are paper-thin to begin with, and the material they have to work with here is hopeless. I’ve been told the movie plays best with teenagers. That’s an insult teenagers should not be forced to endure, especially teenage girls who has to suffer the foul-mouthed profile of the “typical” high-school boys shown here. The only positive thought I can derive is that this movie will never eclipse “The Hangover” or even “Superbad”. That’s why I felt a surge of happiness when this party finally ended. “Project X”suddenly stops, and I felt nothing except relief. This crap joins “One for the Money”, “Ghost Rider 2”, “Mirror Mirror”, “The Devil Inside” and “Battleship” on my list of worst movies of the year so far.